Barbie is already one of the year’s biggest movies, so it’s not surprising that it’s taken over the internet.
For the past few months—but especially since it arrived in theaters on July 21—Greta Gerwig’s latest has been everywhere. We’re pairing it with Oppenheimer. We have a newfound appreciation for Ryan Gosling’s comedic genius. It’s already become the highest-grossing movie from a solo female director. We’re dissecting its themes. And there are more than enough Barbie memes to go around.
Barbie memes
Whether it’s something more cerebral, an image template, inserting a throwaway joke into our daily lives, or a reaction shot, there’s something for everyone.
1) ‘She’s everything, he’s just Ken‘
Our first real look at the Barbie movie (a teaser trailer and two dozen character posters) gave us a perfect indication that Gerwig knew exactly what she was doing—and she knew and remembered how a lot of people played with Barbies. The film’s logline equally summed up the sentiment, one that plays out over many other movies and shows.
2) Character meme posters
With an easy-to-replicate template and an official selfie generator, it took no time at all for people to loop in every pop culture character under the sun. With Succession’s fourth and final season airing around this time, Kendall Roy became the perfect Ken.
3) Barbenheimer
What started as a box office matchup between two beloved directors’ new films became the unlikeliest double feature. Weeks of memes mashing the two films together transcended the screens as people went to see both movies in theaters—sometimes on the same day—in droves.
4) Split-screen memes
The only way to bring Barbie and Oppenheimer together more than they already have is to literally mash up their faces.
5) Barbie and Oppenheimer electoral maps
Do you live in a Barbie state or an Oppenheimer state? Let these electoral maps give you some insight.
6) ‘My job is just…‘
Ken’s absolute earnestness in describing his job in Barbie Land as simply “Beach” (and not surfer or lifeguard, a common misconception) is nothing short of incredible, giving us the leeway to describe our jobs or lives similarly.
7) ‘Do you guys ever think about…?‘
Barbie’s existentialism is present from the get-go as Margot Robbie’s Barbie is hit with irrepressible thoughts of death. But it’s far from the only thing we can’t help but ponder.
8) Crying Barbie
Barbie’s existential crisis goes into overdrive after discovering the Kens’ plan to take over Barbie Land with seemingly no way to reverse it. And while those threats are very real to Barbie and the rest of the Barbies, we’re using an image of that crying session to illustrate similar-feeling situations.
9) Mojo Dojo Casa House
Kens shouldn’t be the only ones with their own Dream House, even if it takes three different ways of saying “house” to make it happen. But it turns out that cinema already has several takes on men’s Mojo Dojo Casa Houses to offer, much to others’ chagrin.
10) I Am Kenough
Despite being the Barbie movie, it’s quite sympathetic toward Ken, who’s left to discover who he is without the Barbie who was previously his entire world. And the first step of that journey is a tie-dye hoodie that became an instant must-have with a message for all of the Kens of the world.
11) Low-commitment casual girlfriend
Out of everything else Barbie gave us, who would’ve thought that Gerwig would unlock a new way of describing an all-too-common dating mode?
12) Barbie heel TikTok trend
Can you step out of a pair of heels and keep your feet in the upward, tip-toed position that is the Barbie default? As people on TikTok are discovering for themselves, it’s much harder than it looks.
@becca.lind How’d i do? #barbie #barbieheel #barbiefeet #ballet #pointe #balletdancer #ballerina #dancer #barbiemovie ♬ Barbie World (with Aqua) [From Barbie The Album] – Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice & Aqua
